Alert/Update – Page 3

Conservation Easement Incentive Act Introduced

Posted on February 4, 2015

2/3/15

Representatives Mike Kelly (R-PA) and Mike Thompson (D-CA) just introduced the Conservation Easement Incentive Act, H.R. 641. It now goes immediately to a vote in the House Ways and Means Committee! The committee has scheduled a markup of this and other charitable incentives, which include incentives for donations of food to food banks, and provisions for tax-free charitable donations from IRAs tomorrow, February 4.

Then it goes to the House floor for a vote of the full House, as early as Wednesday, February 11th, most likely packaged with the other charitable provisions (similar to the packages voted on the floor in July and December of last year).

This is stunningly fast – which is possible because of all the work accomplished last year! We need you to call your representative and ask that they vote for the conservation easement incentive, and for the package of charitable incentives in which it will travel. The enhanced incentive is identical to that voted on last December.

Here is the Dear Colleague Reps. Kelly and Thompson just sent out to their colleagues – asking them to co-sponsor. It’s too late for that now – what we really need is their vote next week!
See Land Trust Alliance’s spreadsheet that shows how every House member voted on December’s charities bill (H.R. 5806), last July’s bill (H.R 4719) and whether they had co-sponsored H.R. 2807.
If your representative didn’t vote for those bills, or is a freshman, see LTA’s new talking points to get your representative informed and on board.

HB1565 Passes, Signed by Governor

Posted on October 20, 2014

On October 15, 2014, by a vote of 118 to 79, the House gave final approval to House Bill 1565 (Hahn-R-Northampton) that would weaken DEP requirements for stream buffers in Special Protection Watersheds. In September, the House passed an earlier version of the bill by the vote of 119 to 79. The bill now goes to the Governor for his action.

Click Here to see how your House member voted. House action Wednesday followed a vote by the Senate Tuesday which approved the bill by a vote of 27 to 22. Click Here to see how your Senate member voted.

Prior to its final Senate action, Sen. John Yudichak (D-Luzerne), Minority Chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, amended the bill to change the provisions of the bill to give applicants the option to install practices other than a stream buffer, but only if they can prove other practices are “substantively equivalent to” a stream buffer.

The amendment also changed the provision allowing the installation of a buffer in other areas, but “as close as feasible to the area of disturbance” to limit the replacement buffer to areas within the same watershed.

Update: Governor Corbett signed the bill into law on October 22, 2014.

Source: PA Environment Digest

PALTA Urges Senators to Oppose HB1565

Posted on October 8, 2014

October 8, 2014

The Pennsylvania Land Trust Association urges senators to oppose HB 1565. In a letter delivered to the senate today, PALTA wrote:

Enactment of this legislation would cause irreversible harm to Pennsylvania’s water quality and increase the destruction wrought by flooding.

The scope of the bill goes far beyond the supposed problems with the implementation of the regulations. The bill effectively eliminates the requirement of a riparian forest buffer, essentially replacing it with a grass buffer standard. The science is crystal clear and without challenge: grass buffers are grossly inferior to forested riparian buffers in keeping our water clean and minimizing flooding.

The pressing need and science that resulted in the establishment of the regulations has not changed. Riparian forest buffers are by far the most effective and least expensive approach to sustaining water quality and reducing the harm caused by erosion, sedimentation and flooding.

Download Letter

For more information, view the Pennsylvania Land Trust Association’s 10/6/2014 letter to the Senate as well as the many other communications posted at ConservateAdvocate.org.

House Votes for Permanent Conservation Easement Tax Incentive

Posted on July 21, 2014 Leave a Comment

The House voted on July 17 on H.R. 4719, “The America Gives More Act,” which contains the Conservation Easement Incentive Act.” The bill passed by a bipartisan vote of 277-130.This is the first time every member of Congress has gone on record making the easement incentive permanent.

House to Vote on Conservation Tax Incentive Next Week

Posted on July 14, 2014 Leave a Comment

Congressional House leadership has scheduled a vote on July 16 or 17 on a bill to permanently enact several charitable tax incentives, including H.R. 2807, the Conservation Easement Incentive Act. The bill will come to the House floor as part of a larger charities package.

This is a unique opportunity for the land trust community. Our provision officially has a bipartisan majority of the House with a total of 222 co-sponsors. But we can’t take anyone’s vote for granted. Benjamin Franklin once said, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” That goes double for a Congressional vote.

Whether or not your congressman or woman was a co-sponsor, please call your representative to urge him or her to support this bill when it comes up for a vote next Wednesday or Thursday, and encourage your land trust supporters and members to call as well. You can reach your representative by calling the House switchboard at 202-225-3121.

Making permanent the enhanced tax deduction for conservation easements has been a priority for the land trust community since 2006. This will be the first time we’ve been able to get a vote on this on the House floor.